The bodyguard
by Meisae
Summary: Kagome Higurashi follows her dream in becoming a body-guard. Forced to transfer to Osaka through work, she finds herself drawn to a stranger in ways she could never imagine. But as her life turns upside down she's forced to battle a past of someone else, and soon have to face a choice she's not ready to make.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm here again with a new story that actually just popped up in my head a few days ago, and I felt like I had to write it down. And I must say I enjoy writing this story very much, and I hope you have just as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Kagome killed a yawn. She could barely feel her feet from the hours of motionless standing. After loosening her neck some she stole a glance at her watch. It was quite worn, but she loved it. It had been a gift from her dad for her graduation ceremony, even though he hadn't been the one to give it to her.

22:24. 30 mins to go. She sighed and stared up at the sky. It was still some light remaining of the day, but the stars had already begun to pierce their way through the cape. The music was loud, barely muted by the shut doors behind her and she felt a slight pain starting to build at her temple.

She had been transferred to Osaka last month and was forced to abandon her mom and brother back in Tokyo. She felt she missed it already, missed them, but it made it more liveable knowing her childhood friend had chosen to move here with her, even if it meant her transferring workplace as well. Kagome had never asked her to come with her, but she was happy to have a familiar face in this new city.

Laughter found her ears and looked up to find a group youngsters of mixed gender walking towards her. She rose her hand to signal for them to stop "Can I see your ID for the evening?" a simple question, but they acted like they hadn't heard her in the first place as one of the guys walked straight past her, his shoulder bumping against hers making his way towards the entrance of the private night club. In few steps she had blocked his path. He was tall like a mountain up close probably 6'3 and she barely reached him to his chest.

Gently she turned him around and shoved him in the direction of his friends.

"Show me your ID and I can let you in, if you don't have any then you have to find somewhere else to enjoy the rest of the evening" Kagome put on her best smile, but on the inside, she was tired and frustrated of the lack of respect most kids had these days.

"Excuse me?" one of the girls called from behind her while she guided the boy back to the group. The sound of gum popping leads her eyes to a girl with a white fur coat and bright orange hair "Do you have any idea who he is?" one of the males next to her asked, and kagome didn't like the tone in his voice, but kept her calm and said politely "Whoever he is, he need to identify his age to enter this location, this is common knowledge-"

"She really doesn't know who he is, does she" the girl laughed, and the others joined in. The gum popped once more. Kagome felt her left eye twitch slightly. The ginger girl leaned on the boy kagome had lead away earlier "Anyways, move aside won't you, aunt?"

Aunt? This girl was probably just a few years younger than herself, and she calls her aunt?

Inhale.

Exhale.

"I won't repeat myself another time. Either show me your ID or you can forget entering."

"Maaaan we don't have time for this! Move aside old hag!" one of the males grabbed her collar to shove her aside, but kagome had been faster. In matter of seconds the boy was eating dust and whimpering with his wrist in a tight grip behind his back.

The group jumped back and stared at the pair on the ground, eyes traveling from kagome to the boy. Her knee was placed firmly on his back while her hand held his wrist in a twisted grip. She blew a stray hair from her face before looking up at the group. "I tried to be calm and polite with you all, still you go ahead and act like a bunch of shit-bags"

The boy whined in pain again as her grip tightened and she had to remind herself that they were just kids. She could let out her frustration in the boxing ring later, here was not the time or place ' _or people'_ her consciousness added. She loosened her grip and sat back up brushing the dust from her knees and cursed when she noticed a slight hole on one of them.

"I don't care who or what you are, no ID no entrance. That's the rule and that's what I'm hired for, so would you mind not making my last hour more miserable than it already is?"

The whole situation seemed to have muted the rather talkative group who barely made room for the boy to join them again. "H-higurashi? That Higurashi?" Kagome's eyes fell on the boy furthest back in the group, he hadn't said anything till then and followed his stare to her chest where her black nameplate with golden letters hung proudly.

"Yes, I'm kagome Higurashi, what about it?"

This seemed to have made the group jump back another few steps before bending their heads and running in the opposite direction.

Kagome blinked a few times before clapping found her ears and turned to find her friend in her familiar clothing. Her hair was tied up in a tight knot at the back of her head, she wore a light blue uniform shirt where she had rolled up her sleeves and tucked into her pants. On her chest her badge hung proudly.

"Must say you handled that well, was worried I had to interfere" her hands still clapping together a smile painted on her lips.

"Sango…" Kagome groaned as she fixed her collar and walked towards her best friend.

"Your shift is over, and it looks like you need a drink, so let's find some more appropriate clothing for you" she said and slung her arm around Kagome's shoulders guiding her back to the police car.

Kagome could do nothing but laugh along with her. A drink didn't seem like a bad idea at that point.

It was already close to midnight when Sango parked their car outside the party. It felt wrong returning there in casual clothing, but it didn't take long for her shoulders to loosen.

She wore her hair loosely in a ponytail resting alongside her neck coming up front, a silk moss-green tank-top and a pair of dark tightfitting blue jeans rolled halfway up her ankles. Her feet were still tired from the long day, so she chose to keep it simple with a pair of beach sandals. It was still warm at this time of the night, and she enjoyed the breeze stroking her bare skin as they headed for the entrance of the party.

They were greeted by a tall man of darker complexion, and kagome smiled as she reached for her bag, but he placed a gentle hand on hers.

"Really, Kags?" he laughed shaking his head "that won't be needed, you and Ms. Sango can enter"

"Tim, rules are rules, it goes for everyone" Kagome smiled as she handed him her ID "besides I'm kind of happy with this image" she grinned, and Tim couldn't help but laugh.

Tim had been the guy responsible for her when she got transferred here, and he had really helped her loosen up and get used to her new shifts in this city. He was like an older brother already.

The music was way louder when Tim opened the doors for them, but now she felt like being nowhere else but in these beats. Everyone seemed to be on the dancefloor at that point, so the bar was pretty much free for them to settle down.

Kagome ordered a gin and tonic while Sango ordered a beer, but Sango was barely halfway through it before she was on the dancefloor with the rest. Kagome shook her head and smiled. They had known each other since kinder garden and have been inseparable ever since. When Kagome decided walk in her father's footsteps and become a security guard, Sango had taken the next steps and joined the police force, and since high school they had lived together.

She had also been there on her graduation. Everyone had been there. Everyone except her father. That was 5 years ago now, and the wounds were still fresh.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked around, her eyes soon falling on a dark tall man with long white hair sitting by the bar beside her. He wore a black shirt with sleeves folded up his elbows who was slightly open at the chest, lose dark blue pants and a pair of black dress shoes. He seemed well built even if she just saw him from the side, mid-thirties late twenties?

"e-excuse me?"

She watched as he brought the beer to his lips and felt herself swallow hard watching a trail slip down his jaw feeling the sudden need to lick her sudden dry lips, but she resisted. He used the back of his arm to wipe it away before looking at her, piercing golden eyes meeting hers.

"You seemed like you would cry any moment, and I was curious how you could smile one second then tear the next"

She felt her cheeks burn as she looked away, her eyes searching for Sango in the crowd of dancing people, praying she would give her an excuse to join her "Don't worry, I'm leaving anyways, your friend left for the toilet 5 mins ago" he chugged his beer before getting up as reaching for his back pocket and placed the payment on the desk before making his way through the crowd not giving her a second glance.

' _how embarrassing…. he saw right through me…'_ kagome smacked her face before turning in the direction she knew he left. ' _come on, kagome…'_

She catched up to him as he exited the doors watching as he gave a gentle wave to Tim who returned the gesture. The next thing she knew she held his wrist in her grip, breathless.

She froze as she felt him turn in his steps looking down at her. His eyes once again piercing right through her, but yet different from the last time. "Um…" she fumbled with her words, feeling like her tongue had bailed on her embracing act. His eyes fell to where she still was holding his wrist and she whimpered and jumped back hands up front waving.

"s-sorry I don't know what came over me" her eyes fell to his shoes like she had nowhere better to put them.

She heard a snicker and glanced up finding him laughing slightly "If you're worried about earlier I won't tell anyone"

"N-no that's not it. I was rude, and I came to apologize I just had a really long day which shouldn't be an excuse, but I came here to enjoy with my friend, but she disappeared, and I'm left dwelling in the past and I have no idea why I'm telling you this ohhhh my god forget it all!" She can't remember the last time she had spoken so fast. Maybe at her job interview? Why had she run after him? Why did she feel the need to explain and apologize in the first place?

He blinked a few times then burst out laughing. She had never heard a sincerer laugher before. Not since her dad…

Then she felt her cheeks burn again and she turned mumbling something like "sorry… forget I exist…" over her shoulder and was heading back inside when she felt herself being dragged in the opposite direction.

"Do you really think I can let you go after all that?" his voice was so close to her ear that she could feel his breath tickle her neck. He seemed to remain there a second to long or was it to short? She bit her lip as she cursed her thoughts before watching him pull back. Their eyes met again and this time she couldn't look away even though her heart threatened to break through her chest. "How about we go somewhere less crowded?" it sounded like a question, but kagome knew better.

"Tim, could you tell Ms. Sango I will be borrowing her friend for the evening?" he spoke over her shoulder. _'Borrowing? Ms. Sango? He knows Sango?!'_

"nono, I think you got it all wrong here Mr… who are you anyways?" Kagome asked as she tried to break loose from his grip, but she might as well have tried to move a mountain. "Tim, do something!" she begged her co-worker, but he only smiled at her.

"Of course. I will send someone for her right away. Enjoy your evening" Tim smiled and waved at them. Kagome stared at him mouth wide as she got dragged away, betrayed by her laughing friend.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaim: I do not own the lyrics used in this chapter. Music inspiration: Fall for you – Theo Lunderstad

Chapter 2

Kagome stared at the yellow drink placed on the glass table before her, watching as the drops of water slid down the frozen glass. Summer was hot that was clear, but nights was humid. She circled her red straw a few times listening as the ice cubes collided with the glass.

"So, when you said somewhere less crowded" she began as she glanced up at the man sitting across the table who watched her with amusing eyes, the smile never leaving his lips. "You meant 98th floor less crowded?"

"Mhm, don't you just love the view?" He snickered as he started playing with his drink as well.

' _View he say… he has done nothing but stare at me the past hour'_

But she had to admit it was lovely. The entire city lay in a bed of mist and it was nice and silent there. Besides them it was maybe 3 or 4 couples, but the bar was tall and wide. Telling by their clothes this wasn't any type of bar. They were rich. And she? And intruder to their realm.

She continued to play with her drink a bit more before sighing. "ok, so why did you really bring me here?"

"Do I need a reason?"

Her head slipped at his response. Wasn't it obvious as it is?

"You kind of do, yes" she tried to remain as polite as she could without drawing to much attention to herself. He seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before looking back at her.  
"I guess…"

"you guess?"

"I guess I don't have any. Just like you reached for my hand I reached for yours" he grinned, and she couldn't help a slight laughter slipping past her lips.

"oh, so you can smile! I worried I had imagined it all" he joked and leaned forward slightly with his arms crossed as they rested on the table.

"haha" she rolled her eyes at him but her smile lingered.

Silence found them, but it wasn't as awkward as before. It was as if words weren't needed. She found it strange but then again, she couldn't really question it. However, she knew when she had held his stare a moment to long and moved her attention to red scar in the far distance of the sky.

Suddenly he was there, his hand outstretched for her. She let her hand fall and stared up at him in question. "Dance with me?"

She thought he was joking at first, so she snickered and shook her head, but he still held his hand out for her waiting. "For real?"

He was about to answer that, but she let her hand fall into his, like she was drawn to it. Satisfied with her decision he guided her towards the balcony. The air was fresh and a bit chilling, but she didn't mind. She just couldn't get over how nice her hand felt in his, but immediately cursed herself for getting lost in the moment.

Once outside he turned her in her spot, so she was facing him before gently placing his hand on her wrist. She couldn't help the tingling sensation traveling from where he touched her. She let her hand rest on his shoulder and after a few breaths he started guiding her across the floor.

His eyes never left hers and strangely she felt spellbound by them.

 _ **I can be the one you want me to  
I can be anything for you**_

He spun her twice and catched her just as fast, his grip firm on her hip this time as he smiled, and she soon found herself enjoying as well. But her sandals made it hard to move much so she ended up kicking them off which just made Inuyasha laugh more.

 _ **Let me take you out on a rendezvous  
Baby you know what you get into**_

His steps were elegant and controlled as he stepped between her feet catching her as he let her fall back only to bring her back up into another spin separating them for a slight moment before bringing her close again.

 _ **The way you make me stare  
There is no one to compare  
Can't help it but I fall for you**_

There was a gentleness to his eyes, not like so many others had looked at her before. It was like he saw her for who she was on the inside, past her body. It made her feel safe. But also, vulnerable. As If reading her mind, he leaned in close to her ears.

"Inuyasha, my name by the way. Sorry I should have introduced myself earlier" As he pulled back his lips still bore a smile, but his eyes held something deeper, like he was lost in thought.

"oh, right introduction how silly of me. I'm Kagome but I guess you already knew that" She muttered the last part more to herself, but he didn't miss out on it.

"oh? Should I know who you are?"

She suddenly felt embarrassed for even assuming that since he knew Sango he must know who she was too. She must have sounded rather egocentric.

"I'm joking with you, silly. I know who you are, I've been watching you for some time now"

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked back up at him "what-"

"Mr. Taisho, sorry for interrupting"

Inuyasha halted, but his hands were still firmly placed on her body. A man in black suit stood a few feet from them, hands folded behind his back, his eyes covered by pitch black sunglasses.

"Your father sent for you"

"Can't it wait?" A slight annoyance lingered in Inuyasha's tone

"I'm afraid not, he said it was urgent"

Inuyasha sighed and let his eyes fall back on Kagome. "Sorry for this, I had a lovely time"

"oh, nono, don't worry about it"

"Let me drive you home" Inuyasha offered, but the man interrupted "I'm afraid it's rather urgent, sir. I can send for an escort for her"  
She watched as he closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. Before she knew it, her hand was placed on his cheek and he felt his muscles loosen, his eyes opening to meet hers again. She was breath taken by their mesmerizing colour, even more so in the light of the sun.

They held words he didn't have time to say, questions he didn't get to ask. He reached for her hand and guided them to his lips planting a kiss on top of it before turning in his steps and walking past the man who had ended the daydream.

Now it was time to get back to reality. As soon as her heart would stop punching her chest.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 the bodyguard

Kagome went for her morning run alone for a change. Usually Sango would join her but today she let her friend sleep in some. Besides she had way too much going on in her head as it was, and she was sure she and Sango could make up for the lost time later on.

She just couldn't get that night out of her head. She hadn't even drunken that much and yet she hadn't acted like herself at all. She sped up as she passed the stairs leading down to the riverbank, her new speed matching her music better.

It had been a week since she had run after a stranger, followed him somewhere unknown, danced with him and even touched him. What the hell was going on with her? It was like she couldn't stand the thought of losing him out of sight. Or was it something else?

His name still lingered on her tongue.

She felt her cheeks burn again and quickly slapped her cheeks and sped up even more. Whatever that had been or whatever it was, it would have to end. This wasn't like her and she still liked the idea of blaming the drink.

 **Can't help it but I fall for you**

The lyrics from last night found their way through her music and she increased the volume, ignoring the warning her phone gave. Unaware of her surroundings she rounded the corner only to collide with something hard and solid.

She saw stars and let out a whimper as she felt herself falling backwards.

But the ground never got to her, instead she felt herself being pulled back up on her feet by her wrist as a gentle arm wrapped around her waist to steady her. She rubbed her nose painfully who had taken most of the impact and felt the taste of iron in her mouth.

"Crap I'm so sorry…" she mumbled as she unplugged her ears as she blinked tears from her eyes before guiding her fingers up to her nose. Red. Great. She cursed again and pinched her nose to prevent more from leaking from her.

"Are you alright?" that voice. Kagome's eyes shot up and the piercing golden colour was not to be mistaken. She jumped back, before her stood no other than Inuyasha who's arm remained in the air where he had supported her a moment before. A worried frown crossed his face.

He had clearly been out running as well, his chest gave off a light shine in the sun and his pulse and breathing was still fast. This time he had his long white hair tied up in a lose knot at the back of his head. His torso was covered by a black tank top, a pair of matching black shorts and a white towel hanging loosely around his neck.

"y-you? What are you doing here?" the words left her mouth before her brain could stop them. It was obvious he had been out jogging, but that's not what she really asked. Why was he HERE. With her. Now.

"Ouch…" she stopped talking as the pain spread through her nose again and she was now sure it was a cut, and knowing her, her bleeding wouldn't stop anytime soon. _'way to go kagome. Of all days you chose be alone this just had to be the day'_

"Hey, let's get that checked. I'm sorry I didn't see you rounding the corner I was on the phone" Inuyasha apologized and reached for her face. She didn't move away, which surprised her the most.

"Phone?"

' _he was running and talking?'_ She hadn't seen him put it away and it was nothing in his ear that indicated he had been eyes fell to the ground on instinct and horror washed over her. There it lay face down in a bed of glass. "oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she quickly bent down to pick it up, but she already knew its fate. The screen was completely molested, barely any intact glass left to cover it as it blinked in all sorts of colours trying to make sense of what had just happened.

She hit her head a few times. Could this day get any worse?

"I'm really sorry, I'll replace it I promise" she wanted to dig a hole and jump in, never come out. Then she felt something soft press against her mouth and nose and she looked up from her shame and found Inuyasha in eyelevel with her now, his towel draining the obvious blood sliding down half of her face.

Past the smell of blood, she could smell him, his scent from the towel. It was sweet but handsome. Could a scent be handsome? She had no idea but that was all that filled her head at that moment. "Stop apologizing already, silly. It was just as much my fault; besides it was a boring phone call and I'm happy I have a valid reason not to listen anymore."

She tried to speak but her voice got muted and twisted against the towel.

Inuyasha laughed and started gently pressing it in soft motions against her face "Don't worry about my phone, I needed a new one anyways, now let's go find somewhere to wash your face clean"

He helped her back up on her feet before bending down to pick up what was left of his phone and placed it in his pocket. "Sorry for the towel, it was all I had available that wasn't drenched in my sweat. Unless you wanted my shirt that is" he joked, and she hit his shoulder.

They found a rest room in the park not far from where they had collided, and Kagome went in to the ladies' room to clean herself. When she pulled asside Inuyasha's towel she noticed most of the blood had stopped but it had left a large mark on the fabric. She brought the part that wasn't drenched in her blood up to her face breathing in deeply. The scent was so relaxing. She sighed and placed her hands on each side of the sink as she let her head fall.

' _what am I doing…'_

She let out another deep sigh and used her hands to wash her face clean.

When she returned back outside Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen. She cursed herself for even thinking he would be waiting for her in the first place, why would he? She went over to one of the benches and sat down defeated. Her neck was resting against the edge of it while she faced the sky through the trees above her. A light breeze stroked through her hair and she felt her heart slowly calming. Closing her eyes, she took in the silence.

Then she felt something cold press against her cheek and she jumped.

"Have your mom never thought you not to sleep in the park, miss sandals?" Inuyasha joked as he handed her a C.C lemon soda. It was her favourite; how did he know?  
 _'Don't fool yourself, you should know better'_ she bit down on her lip and mumbled thanks as she watched him settle down beside her, closer than needed.

When he still hadn't said anything after some time Kagome glanced over at him and found him in the same position she had been only a moment before he came back, staring at the sky with a smile painted on his lips. She felt her heart skip a beat and chose to keep her eyes for herself as she sipped the yellow liquid.

He was, how could she describe… Out of her league? Ye that would be the right way to put it.

"Why are you still here" it wasn't really a question. Not really. But yet she felt the need if not asking then clarification of some kind.

"What do you mean" she felt his eyes on her now and she swallowed hard and suddenly took interest in a random tree at the other side of the river.

"Why haven't you gone back yet? You got nothing to do with me, you know so" no that was not how she wanted to put it. She cursed inside and felt her fingers tighten around the cold tin, shaping it by the force of her hand.

"Am I annoying you?"

His words hurt more than she though they would, and she couldn't help but look back at him.

"Of course, not" his eyes held some sadness even though he tried to hide it.

There it was again. The feeling of being drawn into his gaze. The need of comforting him.

"Then what is it?" he sat up and leaned his elbows on his knees, his arms hanging loosely between his legs holding his own C.C lemon in his hands, his eyes still locked with hers.

She suddenly felt a strangling sensation as she searched for the right words to say, but her mouth felt dry.

"I hardly know you" she finally let out and averted her eyes, the sound of the tin popping back to its original shape as she loosened her grip around it.

"And? You're getting to know me now, aren't you?"

She brought the soda back up to her lips but immediately regretted doing so as she made it far too obvious that her hands were shaking. She ignored this the best she could and took another sip of her soda, sweet but sour _'just like this'_

After another moment of silence, she felt him get up from his seat and her eyes fell on his back. He didn't face her as his final words left his lips.

"Later, Kagome"

It wasn't the end, it was just the beginning, his words made that clear.

Then he walked off leaving her with a bittersweet taste in her mouth. The drink was no longer an excuse for her rapid heart beats.


	4. Chapter 4

the bodyguard

Chapter 4

Inhale.  
Exhale.  
She counted the gunshots in her head. Four. Only seconds apart.

Kagome took another deep breath before lowering her gun watching as her target sheet got brought back up to her by the machine. She shoved her protection glasses up on her head and grabbed the sheets and replaced it with a new one. Four gunshots, but the sheet showed more than that number. In fact, it was hardly anything left of where the head, and heart of the drawn man should have been.

"Ouch, who is the lucky guy?" Sango's voice rang from behind her and kagome couldn't help but laugh.

"No one for the time being, I'm just practising my aim"

"Your aim looks good to me, never been anything wrong with that to be honest. Well leaving out that it being scary accurate at all times" She rolled her eyes at her friend's words and placed the sheet along with 5 other victims she had shot on earlier that morning.

It wasn't that her aim wasn't how it should be. She always had that ability since she was little, and most likely inherited that from her dad. It was one thing to aim and shoot at piece of papers. An entire different thing to shoot at living things.

"Nervous?"

"Terrified" kagome replied as she sighed and placed the gun on the table before turning fully to face her friend while leaning against it, hugging herself. "It will be my first real mission, what if I mess up?"

"You won't" Sango interrupted

"but what if I do?"

"You won't. Besides you will have me and the police force backing you up so relax a bit, Kags"

Kagome sighed again and nodded. "I guess you're right"

The next thing she knew she was securing her bulletproof west around her waist, joined by other security guards imitating her action. She looked around the room. Women, Men. Most were older than her and she suddenly felt smaller than she had the day in the shooting area.

Then she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to find Tim beside her. He wasn't looking at her, but he was showing her his presence which she was grateful for. She was sure, if he had met her eyes, she wouldn't have been able to prevent her lip from shaking.

He squeezed her shoulder a final time before walking past her joining the others exiting the room. She smacked her cheeks a few times before joining him.

It had been a month since she last saw or heard anything from Inuyasha. And they hadn't really parted in any pleasant way. She cursed herself for mixing her personal business with work and quickly shook it off for later.

She didn't fully know what would happen today, but they were set to secure the area around the crowd. The head of Taisho cooperation had received quite a few death threats lately for false claims they never committed, that was at least what Kagome had overheard two of her co-workers talking about a few weeks back, so that meant they couldn't let their guards down. He was one of many important people attending that day.

It was people from all around the country. Important people. Important people whose life rested on her and the rest of the securities shoulders. Kagome shook her head and retained her posture awaiting the orders the head the security was announcing. The sun was making it hard for her to keep focus already and her helmet didn't make it any better. Where she stood is where she always had dreamed of standing. In her father's footsteps. But now it was far more real, and she wondered if this was how he had felt too on his first real mission.

People started to crowd the place and it didn't take long before all the chair were taken. Once this happened Kagome and the rest were ordered to get in position. She had been placed with a guy called Jasper, but she had heard his friends just call him J.P. Personally she had never talked to him before, and she didn't feel this would be the best time for an introduction, so she kept her lips sealed as she scanned the crowd.

She glanced down at her clock. 12:42. The conference weren't set to start before another 15 min. She checked her gun for the 100th time that past hour, and yes, she still had her reserve at the back in her belt strap. _'relax, kagome. It was just rumours. Just keep your eyes and senses sharp as a needle and this day will be over in no time'_

She watched as the conference members walked up on stage, she knew maybe a total of 2 out of 13 members. She scanned the crowd again, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

J.P lifted his hand to his ear and kagome suddenly remembered her ear device and hurried to plug it in just in time to hear the chief speaking. "Group 9?"

"Clear" J.P replied, and she was relieved he had spoken for them both.

"Copy that. They will be here shortly" The chief replied back and then silence followed. "They?"

"Taisho and his men" J.P said without looking at her. She looked over at him and realised she had thought it out loud. Her cheeks were still burning when a murmur spread through the crowd and found her eyes traveling past Jasper.

Tree men came walking towards her, all with a long silver mane swaying gracefully behind them. And she couldn't help but feel her jaw drop. At front a middle aged, handsome man lead his way to the end of the crowd. He wore a white tight-fit suit with an embroidered ribbon in purple, red and gold crossing his chest from his shoulders.

He was soon followed by a spitting image, only a few years younger, maybe late twenties, wearing a matching ribbon, only his were in silver instead of gold. But behind him followed a month of questions, a month of sleepless nights. Inuyasha.

Compared to his accompanies, he wore a thicker crimson suit with a simple silver ribbon crossing his chest. She averted her eyes the moment he looked up in her direction and felt her pulse rise to unknown levels. _'he's a Taisho?'her brain was working fulltime trying to process this new information._

' _Great, Kagome. When you thought he was out of your league, you really lacked imagination!'_

But it somehow made sense. The 98th floor, the way he danced, his gentleness and manners. No ordinary man acts like that. She bit her lip in shame and tried to keep her eyes focused on the crowd and block out her feelings. They passed her one by one and Kagome gripped her wrist tightly behind her back, feeling her nails threatening to tare her skin.

She hadn't noticed she had closed her eyes before she heard his voice. "What are you doing here?"

Her eyes flew open and felt her heart stop in her chest. Unable to meet his gaze she kept her head low, only his shoes lingered in the corner of her eye. To her surprise, Jasper had spoken in her place.

"You know very well what i'm doing here" he spat and Kagome couldn't help but lift her gaze now. Inuyasha stood between the two of them, his eyes planted on Jasper who in comparison didn't spare a single glance in return. His jaw were tense as he kept his posture glaring at something neither of them could see.

"Right... I hope it works out better for you this time, Jasper" Inuyasha said without looking at him now, like he was lost in thought. For a moment she felt his eyes on her and swallowed, but he passed by just as fast and for the first time that day she was grateful for the disguise her helmet provided. At that point she could handle the heat.

She threw a quick glance at her partner who now stood with clenched fists as she heard him mumble something under his breath. She didn't get enough time to question his words as the murmur silenced and the first spokesman took his place behind the podium.

She didn't really pay much attention to what was said, her eyes always found their way to the silver-haired man in the crimson suit.

He was now seated on the left side of the middle-aged man she now guessed was his father, which then meant that the other one was his brother, even if they didn't really resemble each other much. Maybe a half-brother? Cousin?

She didn't know much about the Taisho family besides their strong rules for tradition and control. Inuyasha didn't really seem to fit into the image she had created of them, but then again it would be wrong for him not to be amongst them.

Her eyes traveled over the crowd again and noticed some exiting at the back. It was normal for people to leave. Toilet breaks. Boredom. Food. Phone calls. Yet Kagome couldn't help but feel restless. She was trained to be observant of any suspicious acts. The smallest difference could be what separated life from death.

Something in the corner of her eye got her attention, and she glanced behind J. P's back. He his thumb was slowly moving over the keys only halting to press certain buttons before it travelled to the next. What could be so important that he chose to type in blind while being on mission? Couldn't he just use the communication device to contact the others? She couldn't make out the letters on his phone. It was old fashioned, the types made to sustain a lot of hard situations. A phone the military most likely used.

Slowly but as unnoticeable as she could she took a few steps back keeping her eyes forward to not seem suspicious. When she felt she was out of his eye sight she glanced at the orange screen of his phone.

 **In position.** Received.

 **Ok. Will create a decoy you got 30 secs after the signal**. Sent.

Kagome looked forward quickly just in time for him to glance back at her a quick second J. P's words from earlier rang in her head. 'this time it will' what past did Inuyasha share with a former military?

Suddenly jasper's voice rang in her right ear. "commander?"

"Copy"

"I'm not sure if this is anything to worry about but I see some weird reflections from the south building south west from here" kagome let her eyes travel to the building, a faint flicker of light tree windows from the left around at 3/4 of the building. It could be anything, but their job wasn't to guess. Their job was to secure, anything could take a life as well.

"What floor?"

"can't say for sure think it's around 55th far left"

His words made her question her own eyes, she would have guessed it was from further down but maybe the heat was getting to her finally.

"copy that, will send some people to check it out"

The moment J.P let his hand fall back in place behind his back, Kagome felt a shiver go through her spine. Was he telling the truth? Then what was the thing he mentioned about decoy earlier? Her eyes searched the area beyond the crowd. What signal? And 30 secs to what?

Her brain processed the information going over what she knew over and over. She knew nothing about Inuyasha's past, in fact she didn't even know if what she already knew about him was accurate. But she knew him and J.P had a past, and from what she understood it wasn't a good one.

The two co-workers of hers spoke about death threats towards the Taisho cooperation's, but that it was no proof.

Inuyasha was now a Taisho. That was true.

J.P's blind messages about a signal, decoy and a timer. What was it that J.P needed a decoy for in the first place?

Then his voice echoed through the room and Kagome froze as she looked towards the stage where Inuyasha now had taken over for his father, standing tall behind the podium. Her eyes fell to the ground as she got lost in thoughts. Could it be. Her eyes fell on the orange screen again and she could read the two letters as clear as day.

 **Go.**

Then she broke her first rule. She took a few steps from her position counting down in her head while taking in the buildings surrounding them.

 **25,24,23**

Her eyes scanned traveled high and low while throwing of her helmet to see better. It was only for a brief moment, but it didn't pass her eyes. a slight flicker of light in the sun.

Wide-eyed she felt the world slowing down around her as she looked back at the stage. "Group 9, Higurashi. Get back in position. Now!" the commanders voice rang in her ear and she looked back at J.P who had stepped forward his eyes glaring her down.

 **19,18,17**

"Kags? Get back in position, you heard the commander" Tim's voice reached her through her device, but she unplugged it and threw it to the ground.

 **15,14,13**

Then she broke her second. She ran. Pushing her way through the crowd knocking over someone by accident but she didn't have time to stop. It was never enough time. Her dad wasn't given time. He passed away with a little box in his dying grasp, wrapped in her favorite colour.

 **10, 9, 8**

She fumbled her way up the heavy stairs and his golden eyes met hers. Confusion.

 **4,3,2,1**

She threw herself forward as the bullet pierced through the heavy air. Then everything turned black.


	5. Chapter 5

The bodyguard

Chapter 5 

One second, he was looking out at the crowd reading up the speech some guy had written for him for that particular day. It hadn't been his words, so it left him with a bitter taste in his mouth.

Then she had been there. Breath taken, panic filling her face. He was happy but at the same time confused to see her. He knew she worked as a guard at the club but, security? This was all new to him. He saw his father get up from his seat eying him, and Inuyasha held up a hand and shook his head. No, he had no idea why she was here, he had been ordered to stay away from her for her own security and against his will he had followed this.

His eyes widened as she ran towards him then the gunshot echoed through the air. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion from that point. Kagome throwing herself against him knocking him of his feet and would soon discover she had acted as a human shield for him.

She now lay motionless in his lap as he sat there dumb folded trying to process what had just happened.

Silence. Then panic spread like a virus. People knocking others over to escape the location as fast as humanly possible.

He came to his senses and stared down at the girl in his lap. She was so little where she lay motionless, a fresh trail blood seeping through her lips dripping past her jaw.

He reached for her fragile shoulders as the world turned cold around him.

"KAGOME!"

Her eyes flickered. Somehow her eyes felt so heavy. She tried to move her arm, but nothing happened at least she didn't feel it. She heard a faint echo of beeps in steady rhythms and tried to open one of her eyes and she found it easier to focus her energy on one rather than two. The room was dark only light up by the screens above and beside her bed.

So, she was in a hospital. She suddenly remembered Inuyasha and tried to sit up but immediately regretted it as a sharp pain shot through her spine causing her to fall back in bed. She then noticed the reason why she hadn't been able to move her arm in the first place. Inuyasha sat there in silence, her hand in a tight grasp, but the reason for his silence was that he most likely had passed out from hours with lack of sleep. He was now resting his head on her bed, a deep frown painted on his face.

She felt her heart skip a beat as she watched him in silence. So, she had succeeded. She smiled and gently stroked some of his hair behind his ear.

His eyes flickered before slightly opening.

"Hey there, sleepyhead" her voice felt crisp against her throat. His eyes fully opened now like he didn't fully believe he was awake yet then before she knew it she was pulled against his chest as his head buried in her neck, his arms wrapping around her almost painfully.

She had to bite back the pain for a moment as it was clear her back needed a lot of healing before it was back to normal. After some time, she gained enough strength to lift her arms up against his back and hug him back.

"Inuyasha, I need you to loosen your grip some. I can't breathe" she laughed but his grip didn't loosen in fact it grew even tighter.

"Hey" she whispered as she guided her hand up to the back of his head gently stroking it.

"I could have lost you" he huskily whispered, his breath tickling her neck.

"one less problem to worry about then" she joked to keep her mind on something else, but he pulled back then.

His eyes were watery but more piercing that ever in the dark room. Kagome's smile fell as she took in the sight of him.

"Don't joke about things like that, do you have any idea how close you were to dying?"

She could tell from the pain and all the wires connecting her body to the machines surrounding her, that she had been lucky. But even if she did die she would be happy knowing she died for someone she cared for.

"Yes, but I didn't. And here you are as well, so it was worth it either ways"

"Don't say that…" he averted his eyes taking both of her hands in his.

"Inuyasha, this is my job. I'm happy I could be useful at all"

He said nothing, just kept staring at her hands. She noticed now that he wore casual clothing, not his red suit from when someone tried to take his life.

"How long was I out?"

His eyes met hers again "A couple of days"

She blinked a few times "for real?"

He nodded in silence.

"What happened with Jasper?"

It was Inuyasha's turn to look confused now "What about him?"

"He had contact with the shooter through his phone, that's how I could get to you in time" His eyes widened as he processed the new information she had given him.

"we need to get to him- agh!" she had tried to sit up fully, but the pain was just too much.

"WE are not doing anything. You're going to stay here and heal, I'll check up on it" Inuyasha pushed her back in bed before getting up from his seat heading for the door.

"You're leaving now?" the words left her lips before she could help it. He turned to look at her before smiling and walked back to her side. He leaned forward and softly placed his lips on her forehead.

Her cheeks started burning again and watched as he pulled back so their noses where only inches apart.

"Thank you, Kagome"

Then without another word he turned and shut the door behind him.

' _I wonder if I will ever get used to you'_ she thought to herself as her eyes fell on her desk by the bed where a C.C lemon stood untouched.

' _I really wonder'_


	6. Chapter 6

The bodyguard

Chapter 6

The healing process took longer than kagome first had though. Her bruise was a mixture of green, red and purple but it changed day by day which of the colours that dominated. It stretched from her shoulder blades down to her waist and was the darkest where the bullet almost had entered her body. She examined her back carefully in the mirror she had been given by the hospital. For some reason they still insisted on her wearing this ridicules sheet of clothing which gave her rear end no cover besides her underwear. And talking about underwear….

She had no idea where Sango had found the ones she brought to the hospital, but Kagome was sure of one thing. She would shave her friend's eyebrows off one day. Out of the ones Sango had brought to her, the one she was currently wearing was the least eye-catching one. And in this case that was a good thing, then again it just kind of gave you an idea how bad the others were.

On the positive side they stuck nicely to her body, if you somewhat could ignore that a teddy-bear obviously, in somewhat reason, seemed to be stuck in her ass. Kagome had made up her mind that once all this was over, she would hunt down whoever made this print and thought "hey that's a good idea" and shove the fabric down their throats.

She heard someone clear their throat behind her and froze "Sooo, how long are you planning to stand like that?" Inuyasha's voice snickered and horrified she turned in his direction and let her covers fall back past her thighs and down to her knees where they belonged.

"H-how long have you been standing there?" She stuttered as she covered the teddy the best she could with her hands, backing away from the mirror.

Clearly amused he leaned against the frames of the door while crossing his arms against his chest, a white bag hanging from one of his hands.

"5 mins give or take" his lips tried their best to hold back laughter that clearly wanted to push past them, and Kagome let herself collapse on the floor, her face buried against her knees.

"I want to die! Diiiiiie!"

Inuyasha snickered again before walking over to her. "Here, I brought some clothes over for you to change into since you're leaving today"

She glared up at him. "I promise, its normal clothes. I leave the bad jokes to your friend, she seems to have mastered the art"

After another moment of glaring at him she grabbed the bag and got up. Without hesitation he gave her some room to change into her new clothes, keeping his back facing her. She gave him a quick glance before turning her back as well to be sure. You never can be 100% certain when It came to guys, she had experienced that the hard way.

She opened the ribbons on her back, it was 3 she had bothered tying, the rest she had just kept loose. When you were hospitalized that long with the same clothing you started to give a damn over time. As it fell to the ground she quickly kicked it aside and opened the bag. There she found a simple yet beautiful sweater in light yellow, a sky-blue tank top with pale blondes on the cleavage and bottom part of it, and a pair of lose dark blue pants reaching her just below the knees.

But what catched her eye was the beach sandals laying in a separate bag blue blonde bag. They were similar to those she wore that night she met Inuyasha and she couldn't help but smile.

"Um, sorry I couldn't find any underwear for you sadly. I kind of don't know your, well, anyways I hope the other clothes fits you"

Heat washed up her face as she sat up casting a quick glance over her shoulder at him. He was rubbing his neck while kicking the ground in a restless manner and she couldn't help but find him adorable at that moment. Without responding she pulled on the pants he had given her and was positively surprised how nice the fabric felt against her skin.

 _ **Inuyasha's POV:**_

Inuyasha stole a quick glance a moment before the blue fabric slipped past the large bruise mark on her back and he grimaced.

Her bulletproof west had saved her life, that much was sure. But it had been far to close. It was barely half an inch left of where the bullet had entered. Any stronger gun and it would have passed right through her. Inuyasha clenched his fist at the thought as he leaned against the frames of the door once more.

He still hadn't been able to find out where Jasper had run off to, but they had people looking for him high and low, night and day. It was his life Jasper had been after, not Kagome's, yet again she was the one suffering for their mistakes. His mistakes.

His father had been right. She wasn't safe with him, she never would be as long as Jasper was still on the loose.

"Inuyasha?"

Snapping out of his thoughts he glanced over his shoulder only to find her fully dressed and he smiled down at her. "Good, guess I'm not too bad at dressing you up after all"

"Oh, get over yourself" she joked back and walked up next to him and by instinct he placed his hand on her waist as he opened the door for her, if she minded it she didn't say, and this made him question himself. Either he touched her too often, so she was used to it, or she simply didn't think of him that way. He liked the thought of the first, but this he kept to himself.

 _ **Kagome's POV:**_

Kagome stretched her arms high above her head. It felt so nice to finally be able to walk outside again, the air felt a lot fresher out here than from her window. She glanced back at Inuyasha who seemed rather restless his eyes scanning the area.

She wanted to tell him to relax but she knew better. She knew he was worried about the whole J.P situation, and she couldn't really blame him. She followed as he guided them towards a café where Inuyasha found a table furthest back. She had never been there before, but she begun to wonder how she could have missed out on it. The walls were covered in bamboo with some split parts giving room for the waterfalls in-between.

The smell of coffee made her relax and remind her of the time her dad was still alive. At that time their house was always filled with the scent of coffee, she herself was more of a tea person, like her mom.

She ordered green tea with some sugar on the side, Inuyasha did the same but he skipped out on the sugar. While they waited for their tea, Kagome let her eyes fall on him. He kept playing with the ring on his left thumb, turning it around and around.

"Can I ask you something?" she was hesitant, but she couldn't really rest without knowing. He stopped playing with the ring and looked back up at her.

"Sure, anything"

She took a deep breath before reaching for his hand "What happened to your mom?"

His eyes widened for a moment, but a sad frown soon took over. "You noticed, huh" the defeat in his tone pained her more than he could even imagine.

"It's not like I noticed or any, it's just that I never heard anyone talk about her. It's always just your father." She quickly explained, regretting she brought it up in the first place.

He turned his hand so hers rested inside his as he stroked the palm of her hands gently with his fingers. His actions sent tingling sensations through her body and she felt her pulse rise greatly by the second.

"She passed away when I was 10. She had been battling cancer for as long as I know, in fact that was all I ever knew."

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked"

A sad smile found his lips as he linked his fingers with hers. "No, I'm glad you did. I haven't talked with anyone about it since I lost her."

Kagome was about to say something when the waitress placed the tray with a tea-pot and two matching cups at the end of their table. When Kagome looked up at her she gave an apologetic smile before moving on to the next table. Kagome realized their hands were still linked and quickly pulled her hand back and immediately reached the pot, pouring some tea for the both of them. She could feel his eyes on her for a long moment, but she kept her eyes down. She really got carried away to easily with him.

Kagome was halfway through her tea when Inuyasha got the first phone call, which he easily ignored after looking at the screen. The second call came soon after, this one he answered however he wasn't less annoyed as he spoke.

"What is it"

"no, I'm busy"

Inuyasha suddenly glanced over at her while he listened.

"Yes… she is with me, what about it"

"You want to what?!"

"no! of course it's not ok! she just got out of the hospital!"

"You can't be serious! Dad? Dad?!"

Inuyasha cursed under his breath and got up as he pushed his phone in his back pocket. "We need to leave. Now"

"what's wrong?" It was something about her, that much was clear, but why they had to suddenly leave she didn't get. She hadn't even finished her tea yet.

"I'll explain on the way" he grabbed her arm and lifter her up from her seat and she winched in pain causing Inuyasha to immediately let go of her.

"oh, Kagome… I'm so sorry"

"nono, don't be I forgot about it as well" she laughed as she stepped out from her seat and after confirming she was fine a few more times they headed out of the café and Inuyasha called for a taxi. It didn't take long before one swung up beside them and they jumped in through the backdoors.

Inuyasha rested his neck against the seat while brushing his bangs back with his fingers. His eyes scanned the windows at all sides and first when they had driven a few minutes he finally let his shoulders down and returning his attention to Kagome.

"Well I guess we're safe for now"

"safe from what?" she asked, a worried frown washing over her face as she glanced through the back window of the car.

"My dad"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that just yet, master Inuyasha" the driver spoke and glanced back at them through the mirror at the front, a bright smile spreading across the elderly lips.

"M-myōga?! What the hell are you doing here!"

The driver only laughed as Inuyasha groaned in frustration.

"You have got to be kidding me! That old geezer!"

Kagome wasn't sure if she should be worried or laugh at the whole situation.


	7. Chapter 7

A/n: Thank you for the positive reviews on my story so far! I'm happy to be able to write a lot again since summer break is here. Hope you enjoy the future chapters as well :)

Chapter 7

Kagome stared wide eyed as the driver pulled up to two massive gates blocking their path. They seemed to be of Italian design, at least she could guess as much taking in the swirls of dark iron covered in moss. Behind the gates, rich trees of cherry blossoms lead the way through a wide stone passage where a large mansion lay waiting at the end, surrounded by trees and bushes trimmed in all shapes and sizes.

She glanced over at Inuyasha who sat with his chin resting in his hand near the window, looking rather annoyed, even after that 30 minutes' drive. She leaned in closer to him and whispered as silent as you could. "You live HERE?" the awe was far too obvious, but it was no way for her to hide it.

He met her eyes through the reflection of the window before glancing over at her. With him now facing her he was suddenly a lot closer than she had expected and sat back up in her seat, fresh heat burning her skin.

"No, but my dad and brother does" anger reflected in his tone, but she knew it wasn't directed towards her.

The gates swung open after a beep on the panel and the car entered through as it headed for the fountain at the far end. Kagome felt like a little kid. She had only seen houses like this in movies or in picture books, it was an entire different experience to be that close to the real thing. Most of the outer walls were covered in vines climbing all the way to the roof at some places. Now it felt like the books lacked imagination.

The driver passed around the fountain and parked near one of two large stairs bending outwards on each side, both leading up to the entrance. In the middle of them rested a bed of lily's gracefully swaying in the light summer breeze.

Inuyasha took a deep breath before opening the door, and before she knew it he was already at her side opening hers with an outstretched hand for her. "Does your dad love Italy by any chance, or is it my imagination"

Inuyasha laughed then "You have no idea" She let her hand fall into his with a smile.

She was thankful for Inuyasha's pick of clothing for her, she would have felt more out of place if she had come here in her sweatpants and cardigan.

As she fully got out Inuyasha didn't let go of her hand, instead she was pulled behind him colliding with his back. His grip tightened around hers and she followed his glare up the stairs where her eyes soon fell on the silver haired man she had seen only once before.

Inuyasha's brother were leaning his hand on the railing at the top of the stairs. His eyes weren't warm like Inuyasha's, just emotionless.

They said nothing to each other as a long moment passed, no greeting of any kind. His eyes travelled to her for a split second before turning on the spot and headed back inside the mansion.

She heard Inuyasha mumble something under his breath before dragging her along up the stairs, the driver waving them goodbye with a smile.

They halted outside two wide, wooden doors and she felt him fill his lungs with air, like it was the last time he would ever breathe it again before turning to face her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this… I really am" he let go of her hand and she could feel the blood flowing back through her fingers, but she ignored it. Instead she tilted her head looking back up at him.

"What are you so worried for?" her eyes tried to read him

"it's just that my dad he- "

The doors swung open and Inuyasha froze.

"Why hello there!" a light tone sang behind him and Kagome bent slightly sideways to see who it was. Inuyasha's father stood tall with his hands planted at his sides grinning wider than a dog ready for treats.

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder and for the first time he actually seemed frightened.

"How long were you planning on standing out here, don't be rude to guests, Inuyasha!" Inuyasha took a few steps back his arms in defensive position in front of him. She saw the middle aged man raise his eyebrow as his smile fell slightly.

Then he threw himself at Inuyasha hugging him, so his feet's left the ground, his fingers twitching by the strangling force.

"D-dad… I-will-fucking… kill-you" Inuyasha groaned breathless as he tried to break loose from his father's claws, but he only laughed and started to spin him around. Inuyasha's face went from white to green in matter of seconds.

When he finally put his son down, who immediately had to support himself on his knees to keep himself from falling, he glanced over at Kagome who still hadn't recovered from the shock. This was Inuyasha's father, right? The strict traditional leader of Taisho cooperation? Or did he maybe have twin?

"So nice to finally meet you, dear, I've heard so much about you" He smiled gently at her his hand signalling for her to enter. She blinked a few times and looked from Inuyasha to Mr. Taisho before taking a few steps forward.

His father accompanied her as he bent in close whispering "He never liked rollercoasters much, I never understood why" Kagome couldn't contain her laughter as she cast a quick glance behind her where Inuyasha was leaning against the doorframe for support. She was happy that the tense aura was gone, but she realized she would have to rethink what she thought she knew from now on. Nothing was ever as it seemed, especially with this family.

It didn't take long before Inuyasha jogged up beside her again, his face still holding some hints of green. When his eyes met hers, he groaned and looked away "Don't ask"

They got lead into a living room where some people already were present, and by the sound of their arrival many turned their heads towards them. Some rose to their feet's others chose to remain seated. Out of all present there, Kagome's eyes fell on the man standing furthest from her, suddenly the room felt very small and crowded.

"What's this" Inuyasha took a step forward as he pushed Kagome behind him to shelter her from the eyes growing on her.

"Relax, Inuyasha. Come with me, I would also appreciate if you were to join us as well, commander" His father spoke, and Kagome noticed the trace of a leader behind the calm maner.

The commander bowed his head "Of course"

' _how many sides does this man have?'_ she wondered as she followed close behind Inuyasha, not feeling too well about the direction this was headed.

The new room was a lot brighter than the first, books covered most of the walls and at the middle of the room stood a writing desk where paper and documents covered most of its surface. A broad window spread across the wall behind it, and she could spot parts of a spiral maze neatly trimmed in the back yard.

Mr. Taisho's hand signalled for them to find a seat as he walked up to the desk and leaned his back against it. The commander walked up next to him but stayed to his far right, his hands firmly placed behind his back, his eyes planted on Kagome.

She swallowed and sat down, but soon where to realize she was the only one doing so. Inuyasha remained on his feet next to her chair.

"dad… we have been over this several times now" Inuyasha started but Mr. Taisho held up a hand for him to stop.

"This won't take long, we just have some questions regarding Ms. Kagome" His eyes moved from his son to her again.

"So then, Kagome, we won't ask anything of you that will make you feel uncomfortable, alright?" His eyes were gentle, and she understood who Inuyasha had inherited the spellbound aura from.

She nodded slowly. In the corner of her eyes she could see Inuyasha clench his fist's, but he remained silent.

He smiled then and leaned slightly forward so his elbows rested on his knees. "You were the only one with the information enough to save my son's life. We're just a bit curious how a fresh security guard could see things long before any other and act on a whims"

"I already told you what happened" Inuyasha's tone was dangerously fierce at that point, but once again his dad silenced him.

"Let her speak, Inuyasha. I'm not here to put any blame I just want to know from her own lips"

Inuyasha muttered something under his breath as his arms crossed against his chest.

"I want you to know that we're extremely grateful for what you did that day, even if you acted outside your orders." Kagome felt her cheeks burn but didn't dare to look over at her commander.

After a moment of silence, she took it as they expected her to speak so she cleared her voice and explained what had happened in detail. When she finished, Mr. Taisho sat lost in thought for a while before looking over at the commander.

"Did you find what Jasper had described to you?"

"Yes, it was at 55th floor, room 509. We found a sniper set up near the window, but the room was abandoned."

"Kagome mentioned something about a reflection coming from 45th floor, did you check that up?"

The commander hesitated a bit before speaking "Yes. It was a mirror hanging from an open window, but besides that nothing suspicious"

"That's cause…" Kagome started but she didn't feel she was in any place to speak up at that moment.

"Go ahead, Kagome"

She took a deep breath. She knew her claims could be wrong, but at that point what did it matter.

"That's cause you saw what he wanted you to see" She kept her eyes forward to seem stronger, her hands placed on her knees to prevent them from shaking.

"What do you mean?"

"Jasper already knew you would check out the 55th floor as that's what he described for you, and he knew you would trust his words for it" her eyes travelled to her commander a quick sec before returning to Mr. Taisho.

"He had already planted the sniper there sometime earlier, but due to the sun's position reflections couldn't be seen from the location of the conference. So, he most likely had to find another way for the reflection to reach us, but not to make it too obvious he hung the mirror a few floors down enough for us at the conference to notice."

She felt Inuyasha's eyes on her now, but she ignored it.

"He did so to get our main attention away from the real sniper's position, who were at an unfortunate angle, and not a very obvious place as it takes a very skilled shooter to aim from that range"

All 6 eyes were on her now and she swallowed.

"The park-In a few blocks down. Cause of the sun I was able to catch a tiny reflection and from there I just ran"

Mr. Taisho's eyes were wide now as he sat back up slowly.

"So, you had no real proof? You acted purely on instinct?"

Her cheeks burned again, and she let her eyes fall to the floor and nodded. Silence spread around the room and Kagome almost wished she was back in the hospital bed. Anywhere but here. Anywhere.

"Commander, you got all this?" Mr. Taisho's voice spoke suddenly causing Kagome to jump in her seat.

"Loud and clear" the commander spoke in a tone she had never heard before. It almost sounded like awe.

"Kagome" Mr. Taisho's voice was gentle as he knelt down beside her chair.

"There are few who could have done what you did that day. Thank you"

Having him kneel for her made her feel more out of place than ever but she gathered what sanity was left in her. "You don't need to thank me Mr. Taisho. I was only doing my job"  
His smile grew sad, same did his eyes. "I hope you pardon me, but after all that happened I did some research on you, and discovered that your last name is Higurashi, correct?"

It was her turn to look confused now. It was the second time since she moved here that her last name had been brought up as something important. "Yes?"

"Your father was a good friend of mine when we were younger. I knew he had a daughter, but we lost contact after I went to Italy 30 years ago. I only learned about his death a few days ago."

She felt her eyes sting but kept her posture as well as she could.

"You resemble your father more than you think and know this. He would be so proud of you" He placed his hand on hers and gave it a gentle squeeze before getting up. He and the commander exited the room in silence, leaving a helpless boy to comfort the girl he cared deeply for as uncontrolled tears flowed down her face.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kagome brought her hands up to her face, the cold water felt nice against her swollen eyes. She repeated this a few times more before leaning forward, supporting her weight on the sink. Her eyes remained closed while the water dripped off her face and disappearing down the drain. The water was automatic, so she didn't have to worry about blindly feeling for the handle.

She sighed and reached for the towel she had placed on the free sink beforehand and brought it up to her face gently patting her skin dry. This had been all new to her, she thought she knew her dad, but now she came to realize it was a past before her birth, and suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore.

Her eyes stared back at her in the mirror. She looked just as exhausted as she felt.

When she exited the bathroom, she found Inuyasha leaning against the wall, waiting for her. He opened his mouth but closed it just as fast and let his eyes.  
She smiled at him as she walked over

They walked in silence down the corridor surrounded by images and photographs. It was lit up by the ceiling above them, natural light streaming through the strengthened glass. Kagome stopped near a tall image of a pale woman with long black hair. She wore a beautiful white and green dress with loose sleeves, and a green see-through shawl hanging from her head and loosely around her neck. She was seated on a chair made of straws, on her lap sat a little boy with silver hair and golden eyes.

"My mother" Inuyasha said as if reading her mind.

"She's beautiful" She found no other words to describe her. She was beautiful indeed, but it was something so pure about her that beauty itself almost lost its meaning.  
"This was the last image of us together, she died the next spring" his voice grew silent at the end, and she understood why. Not only had he lost someone he cared for, but he had lost the one person bringing him into this world and at such a young age.

He looked at her then and this time he didn't let his eyes betray him. "What you did for me… I need you to promise to never do that again"

Her eyes widened a short moment before they fell into a sad frown. "You know I can't do that. This is what I spent all those years training for. For once I feel like I'm doing something that matters, something that can have an impact- "

"You're a natural. You were born for this that's what worries me the most"

She was confused, was he praising her or looking down at her?

She sighed "I can't promise you I won't do it again. But I can promise you I will be more careful, ok?"

He didn't seem too pleased with what she said, but he didn't argue further.

Guiding the conversation onto something else she pointed at a photo of Inuyasha accompanied by 6 other boys, all grinning and kneeling in front of the camera. To his right a red-haired boy with pale blue eyes sat with a football in his right arm while the other wrapped around a laughing Inuyasha's neck.

The innocent days. Before all the responsibilities made their shoulders broader, before their smiles became a burden. Before growing up.

"Is that him?" it was obvious who she was referring to and Inuyasha nodded.

"We had just lost a game against our strongest components, but the game went on overtime but in the end we lost 6 - 5. We played better than we ever had, and we had so much fun that day" he laughed at the memory but then his eyes grew cold.

"Something must have happened between you two, friends like that don't become enemies overnight"

He said nothing for a long moment before walking further down the corridor. He eventually stopped and waited for her to catch up. On his left hang a tall photo of his father, brother and Inuyasha. He seemed to be around twenty at that time, his smile hsf long faded. But two others were also in this photo. Jasper stood next to Inuyasha like the past image, only this time his he was accompanied by a beautiful lady about their age.

Her hair hung loosely over one of her bare shoulders. She wore a white summer dress with a red ribbon tied around her waist.

She was leaning on his shoulder smiling, and for a moment it reminded her of Inuyasha's mother. "Jasper once had a fiancé named Kikyo." Inuyasha started as his eyes fell on the woman in the picture. His eyes held pain he seemed to struggle to put words on.

"She was, well… I had known her for as long as I could remember. They had plans to get married the next summer. Jasper was working for my dad at the company around that time and he was a respected person in my family. However, I started receiving worried phone calls from his fiancé about him buying things for her with money she knew he couldn't have owned.

At first, I told her that it was nothing to worry about, Jasper worked hard, and he probably got some extra payment from the military. But she had been right. One day I had walked into his office for him to print out some papers for me and I found his laptop open. That's when I realized he had been stealing from us. What was worse was that I discovered he had been doing so for 5 years without us noticing anything. I just couldn't believe it.

He was the one responsible for our finance, and how we didn't catch him sooner was because he hadn't taken a lot at a time. Small unnoticeable numbers here and there got transferred directly to his account"

Kagome shook her head in disbelief. They had put their trust in him and he had betrayed them.

"When I confronted him about it he looked me straight in the eye and claimed that someone was trying to frame him. I had no choice, so I went to dad and the next day Jasper no longer had to come to work. He was no longer part of this family.

I barely slept or ate for days. One night when I got back late after a flight I discovered I had a missed call, but a recorded voicemail. It was from Kikyo. She had been crying.  
She told me how he always returned late, drunk and that he spent most of his time sleeping. She begged me to take Jasper back saying it would kill him if he remained like that.

But, how could we? Two days later I received another call, it had been from the police. Appealingly they had found Jaspers car smashed into a tree, there were two passengers one didn't make it"

Inuyasha clenched his fists as his eyes fell to the floor. "You mean…" kagome felt the sorrow wash over her at the realization.

"He had been drunk driving and that particular night the rain had filled the roads making it almost impossible for even a decent person to see. And he had taken HER with him"

His fist collided with the wall. She watched his shoulders rise and fall unable to do anything but just that.

"Jasper was badly hurt and laid in a coma for almost a month before they could stabilize him. We held the burial while he was hospitalised."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and he jumped slightly where he stood before looking at her. "She had **begged** me to take him back to save **his** life… But I didn't, and she had to pay for that. All I ever wanted to save was her…" his voice cracked at the end and Kagome felt her heart shatter for him.

He had loved her. He had to watch as the love of his life fell for his best friend, then his best friend had betrayed him and taken her life. And now Jasper was blaming Inuyasha for the death of his fiancé.

Inuyasha already put all blame on himself for Kikyo's death, yet the one responsible went lose and hired snipers to do the dirty work for him.

Kagome felt anger build up inside of her.

"it's not your fault, Inuyasha. You only did what's right, Jasper made his own mess"

"Don't you get it? If I had taken him back, she would still be here"

"IF's get you nowhere in life. But do you really think things would have gone back to normal if you had taken him back?" Anger kept her mind focused and her tears contained.

He didn't look at her but leaned back from the wall, burying his fingers in his bangs as he stroked it backwards his eyes lingering on the photograph.

A light knock to their left made them snap out of their thoughts and found the driver from earlier standing at the end of the corridor.

"Miss Kagome, I'm here to take you back"

She gave Inuyasha's shoulder a final squeeze before turning and walking towards Miyoga. She felt herself being pulled slightly backwards and turned to find Inuyasha holding her wrist "I'll call you"

She smiled and nodded before Inuyasha let her go, watching from the window as Miyoga drove her back to reality.


	9. Chapter 9

_A/n: Some of you have been confused why I post several short chapters instead of longer ones. I just feel it's right to end the chapter there, like a book if that makes sense. In my other stories I've mostly had longer chapters in comparison. The reason I didn't clarify what type of sports Inuyasha and James attended when they were younger was cause its irrelevant to the story, and I really didn't think people would get caught up in the detail. I rather leave some things to the imagination of the reader. With all that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^_

Chapter 9

Kagome groaned in pain as Sango stretched the bandage around her waist rubbing the edges to make sure it was secured. She took a moment to let the air slowly fill her lungs again before opening her eyes, their room appearing in one big blur.

"Kags… you shouldn't be moving around this much while your body is still recovering, I mean look at you. You heard the doc's warnings"

Kagome blinked away the tears and looked over at her best friend who still remained seated in her chair, a worried frown lingering in her face "I'm fine already"

As if reading her mind Sango sighed "It's not up to you, people are searching all over for him already. You did your part"

"You don't know what he's capable of" She let down her sweatshirt and as carefully as she could, pulled her sweater over her head as she guided her hands through the arms of it.

"Neither do you" Sango crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. When Kagome didn't reply she sighed and shook her head. "Just be careful, ok?"

"aren't I always?"

"clearly…"

Truth was, she was too restless to just sit around doing nothing. Her body wasn't healing fast enough, and she felt like the longer she waited the closer Jasper got to strike again. Something about this case got her all fired up. She hardly knew the Taisho family, but she had got to know them more lately. Either ways, Jasper needed to be stopped.

Then again… it wasn't really anything she could do just yet, nothing new had been brought up about him, Sango would have known if that had been the case. But anything was better than just remaining home waiting.

She decided to stop by the shooting range. Last time she had been here she had been frightened about messing up. If she had known what she knew now back then, she probably would have called in sick, then again, she wouldn't have been able to save Inuyasha's life.

Just like she had feared her aim had suffered the same consequences as her body. Most of her shots were way of target and just firing was a struggle. What made it worse was that her hands somehow wouldn't stop shaking no matter how hard she focused. Defeated she threw the gun back on the table.

"I knew you would be here" a voice from behind her said and she turned quickly to find Tim standing in the opening his arm leaning against the frame of the door. His expression was nothing new. Everyone carried it around her these days.

"Sango sent you?" she turned her attention back to the target sheet flying towards her and grabbed it, crumbled it then threw it with the rest.

"Kags… you shouldn't even be here. What were you thinking?"

"You tell me. Everyone seems to know what's best for me besides me" she muttered as she leaned against the table crossing her arms across her chest.

Tim sighed and walked over joining her by the table. He glanced over at the corner where the trash bin had started to fill up since she got there and with a smile he shook his head. "You know we're just worried about you"

Kagome sighed and looked up at him "Yeah I know. But what do you want me to do? I can't just sit around do nothing"

He gave her the same look Sango had that same morning and groaned. "It's not up to me yeye you're not the first one to tell me so"

She didn't know why she was so frustrated. They were only worried for her and she knew they had every reason to be.

"Look, kiddo, if you really want to help how about you go back to your mom some? I'm sure she would appreciate a visit after everything that have happened"

A bang of guilt washed over her. She hadn't called home since she left the hospital. Her mind had been too full of other thoughts.

"Yeah… but I can't go home now, mom would never let me leave again the way I am" this was true. Her mom had been so worried crying over the phone after she had seen the news of her jumping in front of a bullet. It's not like she considered it would be broadcasted. It had taken days to convince her not to come down here.

"I see, well you can at least spare her a call, maybe that will get your mind on something else"

Something else… She wished it was that simple, but the pain in her back was a living reminder that something else would have to wait. Instead she would have to lie. A lot.  
As much as she hated it, it seemed to be the only way for her to be free from the others constant worry.

"Yeah, I think I will do that, thanks Tim"

"Anytime, kiddo" he ruffled her hair before getting up. He was about to exit the room when he turned towards her again. "Just try to not do anything stupid, ok?"

And it started now.

"I won't, don't worry" she smiled, and he nodded before exiting the room.

She headed over to the police station where many gave her wide eyes and stares as she passed by, ignoring this as best as she could she walked through another section of glass doors. Halting outside the security desk she found it empty taking the time in consideration she guessed they had headed for lunch. _'well… guess I have to come back another time'_

But as she turned to walk back where she came from, she picked up something in the corner of her eye. Whoever was responsible for the watch had left his or her card behind on the desk.

Just to make sure she knocked a few times on the glass panel to see if anyone was around. After half a minute of nothing she looked around her a final time before sticking her hand under the glass and quickly grabbing the card.

She had only been here once before with Sango, but she was sure the computer section was to the left. Looking at the card more closely she noticed it belonged to a guy named Miroku Kazaana and showed an image of a handsome male with blue eyes and rings in his ears. Where people even allowed to wear things like that here?

When she finally reached the doors, she heard voices from the other side of the corridor and quickly hid behind the corner leading to the men's toilet and pushed her back as close to the wall as humanly possible.

She remained where she was until their footsteps eventually died out before pushing herself away from the wall. She peeked around the corner just to be safe then hurried down the hallway past the sign reading **Lab section**

Reaching the door, she took out the card slid it through the lock at the side and after a satisfying click she pulled down the handle and quietly closed the door behind her.

The room she entered was dark, only lit up by a few screens further back. To spare time she went for the one who already had the log on panel open.

She typed in Sango's full name near the username then tabbed down to the password.

' _ok, kagome. Let's see how much you really know your best friend'_

Her first attempt was a failure, so was her second. She sighed and stared at the blue screen as the little line blinked impatient. She and Sango used share lots of code words for each other when they were younger. That's how they could communicate without anyone overhearing them, but many was too long to even fit in the password field. She fell forward as her fingers massaged her temples.

Then her eyes popped open at a sudden memory and sat back up staring at the screen.

' _What if…'_

She quickly typed down a total of eleven letters, then let her finger move to the enter and pushed it down. Then she waited. The blue wheel span like the two other times, but this time it didn't bring her back to the log in again. She was in.

She spared no time to smile as she brought he mouse up to the search bar and typed down Jaspers name, but to her frustration it was many Jaspers popping up on her screen and the list wasn't growing any shorter. She rubbed her temple in frustration as her finger scrolled down the page. No this would take too long.

' _think, Kagome, think!'_

She added a **P** after his name. This made the list smaller but not less difficult, so she ended up just scanning the names and information with her eyes, moving on to the next when she didn't find what she was looking for.

 **Jasper P. Morris, born 1962, died in a plane crash in 2003 on his way to his hearing….**

Next.

 **Jasper Parker, born 1954….** Next.

 **Jasper Oliver Porter, born 1969 life sentence for murdering 3 of his former wives in the period of 1979 and 1998….**

Kagome groaned as she scrolled through criminal records one after another, but no one was close to the J.P she was looking for.

Then her eyes catched something as it passed by and she scrolled up trying to find it again.

 **Jasper Pete Daniels, born 1981, lone survivor after his family got killed in a fire 1992. Served the military from the age of 18 to 25. Responsible for his f** **iancé's tragic death...**

 **Location:** Unknown **  
Status:** on the run

Bingo. After clicking the file, she headed for the print button and clicked it. At the same time, she heard the lock of the door click and threw herself under the desk just in time as The lights flickered on then heard someone enter.

"Are you sure you lost it here?" A female voice echoed through the room

"Pretty much yeah" a male replied as she heard the door close behind them. Then the female gasped before giggling.

"What if someone comes?" she whispered

"oh, common who comes here at this time anyways" he snickered and kagome heard them colliding against one of the tables.

' _You have got to be kidding me!'_ Kagome breathed as silent as she could. She had to remind Sango to warn her what type of things were going on behind the scenes here.

Then printer gave off a loud beep and kagome froze.

"what was that?"

"I don't know, you think somebody is here?" the female giggled

The printer began to eat the paper and kagome could do nothing besides close her eyes.

"I don't know, should we find out?" he whispered and then the sounds of smooching and gasps filled the room.

Kagome rolled her eyes

"oh Miroku"

' _wait, what now'_ Kagome's eyes widened as she listened.

"shhhh, be silent now, you don't want anyone walking in on us now, do you?"

She stared down at the access card.

' _Wasn't Miroku the guy Sango always talked her ears full about? Didn't he already have a thing for her?'_ She felt her nails dig into the palm of her hands on her friend's behalf.

The printer started beeping again, but this time it repeated itself every 3 sec. She glanced up at it and the screen blinked

 _ **Out of paper…  
Refill required…**_

Kagome cursed under her breath and found herself trapped further under the table. She was thankful for the tiny coverage the wall at the back of it provided, but they would probably see her feet if they looked more closely.

"Seriously can't we get a little privacy?" Miroku sounded annoyed now and that didn't make the situation any better.

"It's ok we can take it after work hours"

"well I guess you're right. Let's go, break is almost over now anyways. Oh, and you better button up that last one there, sweetie"

She giggled again and kagome started to wonder if that was all she was capable of. As she heard the door click shut _she let the air leave her lungs and her shoulders fall. Her legs felt completely numb by the time she crawled out from under the table and now they had begun to sting painfully as the blood flowed freely through her veins again._

 _She refilled the paper and watched as the screen loaded before it swallowed another paper and continued the procedure._

The printer finally spit out the last page and once satisfied with the number she hurried and deleted the log before logging out. She grabbed the card and ran for the door glancing through the tiny window placed in the middle of it. Lunch would be over at any minute now, so she wouldn't have much time. As normal and silent as she could she pushed down the handle and opened the door.

The hallway lay empty and silent, so she closed the door behind her and took a few steps away from it.

"You know…"

Kagome froze in her step as she crushed the printed papers hard against her chest.

"What you're doing is kind of illegal"

She felt herself cold sweating but remained in her steps. "I don't know what you're talking about" her voice rasped against her throat

"Right…" Miroku stepped out from the wall and walked up next to her and she sighed.

"What do you want?" her tone was cold, though the panic still lingered in there somewhere.

"What I want? Hmmm that's a tough question, don't you think? I mean are you really in position to ask that right now?" to her frustration he seemed far too amused by the current situation.

Her jaw clenched as she glared at him "If you keep your mouth shut, I will as well"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm sure Sango would be very pleased to end it with a guy like you"

This seemed to work better as now he was looking over his shoulder with a slight panic building in his face. "Since you knew I was in there, you also know that I overheard you laying a hand on another woman"

"L-laying a hand? I can assure you it was purely work related"

Kagome raised an eyebrow "aha, I guess her moaning your name was as well then"

"shhhhhh" he waved desperately with his arms before dragging her to the side. She didn't have time for this….

"ok listen here, lover-boy. If anyone asks, I was here looking for Sango, but since I couldn't find her I left"

"Well how am I supposed to explain the security footage of you entering the lab?"

Crap she had forgotten about the most obvious thing.

"Well I suppose you can just tell them the truth"

"The truth? And that is?" he crossed his arms against his chest raising an eyebrow. Kagome let the access card fall from her hand and watched Miroku's eyes widen as it swayed from side to side.

"That you left your card at the security desk and some random girl took it"

Miroku groaned as he snatched it from her hands and she gave her most innocent smile.

"Women…" he muttered under his breath


End file.
